Shield for gun firing mechanism



Dec. 5, 1944. w 50 JR 2,364,340

SHIELD FOR GUN FIRING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 15, 1942 specification.

Patented Dec. 5, 1944 SHIELD FOR GUN FIRING MECHANISM William Alfred Bogg, Ir., Fairfield, Conn., assignor of one-half to William M. Olampett, Fairfield,

Conn.

Application October 15, 1942, Serial No. 462,171

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a shield for gun firing mechanism, particularly such guns as army and other rifles, to protect the bolt mechanism from moisture, dust and the like, and may also be used for machine guns including submachine guns.

It has for an object to provide a shield of flexible waterproof material which may be quickly and easily applied to the gun, especially to protect the bolt mechanism from moisture, dust and dirt, and may be as readily removed to permit use of the weapon.

It is also an object to provide such a shield which will fit snugly about the gun and bolt mechanism so that it will not interfere with handling in transportation, marching, drilling, and so forth.

Another object is to provide such a shield which when not in use can he slipped about the belt of the user and quickly secured against danger of loss or misplacement, and will always be readily available for quick application to the gun in case of need.

With the foregoing and other objects in view I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this It is, however, to be understood the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction shown but may involve various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an army rifle showing my improved shield applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the inside of this shield removed from the gun and opened out flat;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 1, but on a larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing how the shield when removed from the gun may be carried on the belt of the user.

In the drawing is shown by way of illustration a so-called Springfield rifle 5 with myimproved shield 6 applied thereto. The use of such a shield of course is not limited to this particular rifle but may be used for any type of rifle including machine guns and submachine guns, the shape and size of the shield being changed to fit the particular type of gun with which it is to be used. The gun shown comprises the usual stock including the butt I, grip 8 and front end and palm rest portion 9, with the bolt mechanism indicated diagrammatically at 10 including the bolt handle I l and the folded-down rear sight mechanism l2. The shield, shown in a spread-out condition in Fig. 2, comprises a body portion 13 of waterproof material, preferably a waterproof fabric such for example as waterproofed canvas or the like, and is made of a length and size to completely enclose the bolt and rear sight mechanism to protect them from moisture, dust, mud, and so forth. At each end it is made to snugly fit about the gun, the rear end snugly fitting about I the stock, preferably the grip portion thereof, to the rear of the trigger guard l t, and

at the forward end snugly fitting about the front end portion of the stock and the barrel, forwardly of the bolt and rear sight mechanism, preferably just to the rear of the intermediate strap ring l5, so that the entire bolt mechanism and rear sight mechanism are entirely and effectively enclosed. There may be a reinforcing strip or band I6 at the rear end to snugly fit about the stock and a similar strip ll at the forward end to snugly fit about the barrel and its mounting.

In the central part of the body adjacent its rear end is an elongated opening l8 for the trigger guard to project through, and the material about i the opening may be reinforced with a suitable reinforcement l9 about the openingsecured in place by any suitable means, such for example asstitching or cement. On one, side and above this opening is another opening 20 for passage.

of the bolt handle ll so that the shield fits snugly about the gun. To fit even more snugly and also to give a better appearance and keep it from shifting around in handling, the shield is preferably contoured to generally follow the contour of the gun and the bolt and sight mechanism. That is, the edges are curved outwardly at 2| to follow generally the higher part of the bolt mechanism and then curved inwardly somewhat at 22 to correspond with the depression at the ejector opening 32 to the rear of the rear sight l2, and then again widened at 23 to accommodate the increase in the height of contour caused by the rear sight structure. The material about the openings l8 and 20 cooperates with the trigger guard and bolt handle to also assist in retaining the shield in place and prevent it from shifting around in handling.

Along each of the free edges is a row of fasteners for securing the edges together with the shield fitting snugly about the gun. This may be a row of closely spaced snap or similar fasteners, but is preferably a double row of interlocking metal slide or so-called zipper type of fasteners 24, as this type of fastener securely interlocks the opposite edges of the shield for the entire lengths of these edges, preventing ready access of moisture and dirt, and they also operate or serve during the closing or fastening operation to draw the shield snugly about the gun. The

slide for locking these interlocking fasteners is not in use and to keep it always available for.

quick and ready application to the gun it is designed to be slipped through underthe belt of the user. As indicated in Fig. 4, the belt is shown at 29 and the shield is shown folded longitudinally and on end 30 passed up under the belt and down' over the topand front thereof. On the opposed surfacesis mounted a suitable fastener, such as a snap fastener 3|, which when the shield is thus folded over the belt may be easily snapped to secure it in this position and prevent its loss or misplacement, and also to keep it in a location where it does not interfere with actions of the wearer and where it is easily accessible and from which it may be quickly and easily removed for application to the gun.

It will thus be seen that the shield maybe quickly and easily attached to the gun and as easily detached and placed in the belt for safe keeping and immediately removed for use when required. It protects the operating mechanism including the bolt and rear sight mechanism during stacking, carrying or handling, from rain, sand, dust, mud and so forth, and thus protects it from rust and injury, and keeps it always in clean, workable condition. It does not interfere i with handling as in drilling, carrying and so forth, or during maneuvers, transportation, 'parading and the like, and the soldiers on the march if suddenly overtaken by a rain or dust storm 0 can quickly apply the shield to effectivel test the gun mechanism.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I. claim is:

1. A shield for the firing mechanism of a gun including a stock, trigger guard, barrel and its mounting, bolt and rear sight mechanism; said shield comprising a flexible fabric member adapted to be folded about the firing mechanism from one side of the gun to embrace said mechanism and the portion of the gun in which it is mounted with one end adapted for fitting tightly around the stock to the rear of the trigger guard and the other end adapted for embracing the barrel and the fore end portion of the stock forwardly of the rear sight and bolt mechanism, said shield being provided with an opening at the lower part thereof through which the trigger guard may project and another opening on the side through which the bolt handle may project so that the shield may more-closely fit the gun, and a row of interlocking fasteners along the meeting edges of the shield to retain it about .the firing mechanism and operable by a longitudinally movable slide of a type to draw the shield snugly about the gun by the operation of securing the fasteners.

2. A shield for the firing mechanism of a gun including a bolt and rear sight mechanism with a shell ejection outlet between them, said shield comprising a flexible member adapted to be wrapped about the firing mechanism from one side of the gun t embrace said mechanism and the portion of the gun in which it is mounted, with the opposite ends of the shield adapted for fitting snugly about the gun, the edges of the shield being contoured by being curved outwardly at spaced points to widen the shield opposite the bolt and rear sight mechanisms and curved I inwardly between these outwardly curved portions to-narrow the shield at the shell ejection outlet so that the shield may more closely embrace the gun and more closely conform to the shape thereof, and a series of interlocking fasteners along the opposite meeting edges of the shield to hold it snugly about the gun and operable by a longitudinally movable slide of a type to draw the shield snugly about the gun by the operation of securing the fasteners.

WILLIAM ALFRED BOGG, JR. 

